Rok climbs down as probe clears ousted finance chief

Rok's finance chief dramatically quit his job after suffering 'eight weeks of hell', while the building group was forced to issue a humiliating apology for wrongly suspending him.

Ashley Martin was suspended in August after he was implicated in 'serious failings in the financial controls' at its Plumbing Heating & Electrical division.

But Martin yesterday hit back at his former employers, accusing the
firm of lying and destroying his reputation, as the self-styled
'Country's Local Builder' issued a statement saying it found no
wrongdoing in the division.

An emotional Martin said: 'The damage that has been done to me and my family has been unthinkable.

'The manner in which they conducted themselves has been completely
unprofessional, with enormous damage done to my reputation. They got it
very, very wrong.'

In a statement Rok said it had lifted Martin's suspension 'immediately and without reservation'.

But, Martin decided to quit the company where he was finance chief
for seven years, adding there was 'no chance whatsoever' he would stay.

The Rok statement claimed: 'The board wishes to emphasise that Ashley has never been accused of wrongdoing.'

But Martin fumed: 'They clearly have accused me of wrongdoing by suspending me, so I think that is an inaccurate statement.'

On August 11 Rok announced it would be restructuring its PHE
business - part of its maintenance division - after finding it had
overvalued some of its contracts. The company suspended Martin in the
process, 'in the best interests of shareholders', adding 'the company
must have new financial leadership'.

It warned full-year profits would be 'significantly below market
expectations', of about £20m, sending shares plummeting nearly 45pc. It
is understood-that Martin was called to a meeting with both chairman
Stephen Pettit and chief executive Garvis Snook present, where he was
given the news of his suspension.

But a subsequent review has exonerated Martin, and found the
problems were due to 'a scaling back of subcontracting work from the
private housing sector'.

Rok said it will no longer undertake maintenance work using sub-contractors.

To avoid further embarrassment it is believed Rok will pay Martin
one year's salary, of around £282,000, in return for his silence over
the precise nature of his suspension.